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Students Network with Professionals

Posted on 01/03/2019

Students from Franklin High School met with local construction
professionals from the Pine Street Group at the Washington State
Convention Center on November 29. The Pine Street Group properties
consist of Pacific Place, Washington Mutual/Seattle Art Museum, and many
more and is headed by Matt Griffin, principal and managing partner.

He and his staff were in attendance to introduce students to careers
in the construction industry in Seattle, speak about the growing job
market in the region, and provide information on various careers that
are available upon graduation. Mr. Griffin and his team led students on a
private tour of the construction site expansion of the Convention
Center in downtown Seattle.

Seattle Public Schools offers students pathways into construction
careers through Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes. Students
can take advantage of a wide variety of CTE courses that prepare them
for careers in the construction trades or other future job opportunities
that involve hands-on engagement. One such class, open to all students
aged 16 to 20 tears old, is the Skills Center Construction Trades class,
located at Rainier Beach High School.

This class starts second semester (January 31), and runs form 12:45
to 3:15 p.m. every day. Students will be provided taxi or school bus
service from their home school to Rainier Beach High School and back
each day. The Skills Center Construction Trades class teaches students
advanced skills that will help them prepare for a career in the
construction industry while they complete a tiny home for a homeless
village in Seattle. Students can apply for this course on the Skills
Center website.

CTE courses provide an avenue for students to explore different
careers and pair it with their interests. Some students will use this
free training to gain employment in the construction trades after high
school, while other students may use their experience in CTE classes to
guide their future career planning. Career Connected Learning
Coordinators, such as Linda Filley-Bentley at Franklin High School have
been helping students see those connections.

Filley-Bentley encouraged Christian to join the field trip with the
Pine Street Group. He is a senior at Franklin and has been a part of the
drama club for the past three years and has a dual interest in theater
and construction. He’s involved in doing a lot of the construction for
the sets, as it gives him the space to create pieces that are used on
the stage. “I like seeing the finished product and doing it with my
teammates.”

Christian is interested in pairing his love for drama and working
with his hands. He plans to apply to the Cornish College of the Arts to
study production and set design. Additionally, he is currently working
on his application to the Rising Star Project with The 5th Ave Theatre,
where students can explore careers and learn about the development of
musical productions. Students will then bring a production to life at
The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Filley-Bentley also understands that college is expensive and not
always the first option for students. “By introducing students to
careers through CTE classes, they can learn about jobs available that
can give them living wages.”
June Rapisura is a senior at Franklin and wants to enroll in a
construction apprenticeship program after high school. He appreciated
how the field trip with the Pine Street Group gave him a different
perspective from other field trips.

He appreciated how the organizers and the construction professionals
present showed him the possibilities of what he could do in the future.

Rapisura thrives in hands-on learning environments. “I try my best to
be a good student. I’m not the type of student to be in the type of
classes where it’s hard to explore hands-on learning. Losing points for
not following a rubric isn’t something that happens when you’re making
things. I like learning and doing with my hands. It’s on you, not
someone grading you. You can say, ‘I created this by collaborating with
myself and my ideas.’”

As he plans his future, Rapisura is thinking about how to contribute
and give back to his community, which is Beacon Hill and the South end
of the city. “I feel like there is a lot of great talent, but it’s hard
for us to evolve. We have a lack of resources, but we have all this
space.” As he continued speaking, he expanded on his goals. “I want to
create facilities for my community, a place where they feel connected. I
want to give back and build community centers that are not crowded.”